Public hearing on county facilities draw support, criticism

Two potential plans, with costs ranging from $1.4 to $2 million, are currently on the table; both would add 10,572 square feet of new space.

Karen Bota karen.bota@sentinel-standard.com

Eight people addressed the Ionia County Board of Commissioners about its proposal to build a new facility or renovate the former Ionia County Jail next to the Courthouse at a public hearing held Tuesday night.Before the public was invited to comment, board Chair Julie Calley explained that a comprehensive study of county facilities, completed in February 2005, deemed the buildings to be in fair or poor condition. Many of the spaces were too small or otherwise inadequate to meet the needs of staff and the public, were not American with Disabilities Act-compliant, and had insufficient security, poor plumbing and very poor mechanical systems, she said.In 2003, the board of commissioners began to set aside funding for future facilities improvements, and by 2006 had $2.2 million designated for this purpose, said Calley. In March 2013, the board hired a planner to find potential sites for a new building, and in September the board selected the former jail location.Two potential plans are currently on the table and both would add 10,572 square feet of new space. One plan would build a new facility in the existing jail footprint at an estimated cost of between $1.8 and $2 million. The other would renovate the former jail building at an estimated cost of between $1.4 and $1.7 million. Both plans call for relocating the Friend of the Court (FOC) from its present home, a former quadruplex apartment building on Washington Street, according to Calley.Because commissioners wanted to be "thoughtful" in their process, Calley said, they decided not vote on the matter Tuesday."We have facilities issues everywhere. The number one problem is with space," she said. "We've known for over a decade that something needed to be done. We are trying to decide if now is the time to do it."Resident Jack Elliott challenged the commissioners being able to "squirrel away this money.""You can tax us to run the business for a year. That money should have come back to us," Elliott said. "If we keep spending money, it's going to matter to the kids coming up. We can't keep spending money."He added that the money would be better spent repairing roads.Commissioner Lynn Mason said the role of the commissioners is to be "good stewards" of the county's resources."The 2005 study showed clear deficiencies in the buildings," Mason said. "I think the citizens want us to have a plan ... and to save money for a future plan."Former commissioner Amanda Powell spoke in favor of the project, and noted that she thought the commissioners' conversations on facilities needs went back a dozen years, and that facilities have been an issue for even longer than that."Certainly the voting public can't give you grief on not being thoughtful in spending the taxpayers' money," said Powell. "This has been a long time coming, It's been long enough. It's time to pull the trigger."The conversation turned for a time to the future of the FOC building, with one resident calling it "a piece of history."They don't make buildings like that anymore," she said. "I hope the building is used for something else or sold."Demolition of the FOC would be "the last option," said Calley. "We would explore all the options."Resident Derek Elliott urged the board to find out what residents want and not assume that the commissioners know."What you have to be careful of is a lot of people do what they think people want, instead of taking surveys of what people really want," Derek Elliott said. "I didn't see a lot of hard facts from the board of commissioners going out to the public, (saying) I talked to this many people, I got these surveys and emails. Keep that in mind when you say, ‘I think.' What do the people think that elected you?"

Another resident told commissioners to consider a less expensive route, such as a pole barn, and use the savings for other repairs.

“We built buildings with cut stone facades, and you wouldn't have a clue they were pole barn construction,” he said.

Resident Gary Emelander urged the commissioners to let Ionia County voters decide where they want the money spent."People don't understand why there is money for projects (like rails to trails), but not to fix things that need fixing," Emelander said. "Put it on the ballot and let the voters decide."Robert Van Lente complimented commissioners on their cautious approach to the decision to spend money on facilities."I think you're using prudence," he said. "You've been as careful, if not more careful, with your financial decisions as I've ever seen in the private sector."Follow Karen Bota on Twitter @KarenB_ISS.